Packing-case.



J. A. MOSS. PACKING CASE.

APPLIUATION FILE SEPT. 10, 1010.

999,394. Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

3mm dEzcauesjL/Yass JACQUES A. MOSS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

PACKING-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

Application filed September 10, 1910. Serial No. 531,421.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACQUES A. Moss, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Packing-Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to receptacles and it has for its object to provide a cheaply constructed but strong and efiicient packing case for the shipment of garments by the use of which articles of clothing may be preserved with respect to their shape and condition of finish when transported or stored and yet be packed within small comass.

p A further object of the invention is to provide a packing case of the type indicated comprising hangers for the garments that can be easily inserted within the case and yet locked against disarrangement in a simple manner when the case is closed up for shipment.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a packing case constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, the closures for the top and front, together with the follower, being removed; Flg. 2 is a longitudinal section from front to rear with both closures and the follower in place, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing a garment in place after being packed.

In the shipment of garments by clothing manufacturers particularly to the retail trade, it is diflicult, without greatly increasing the expense of production, to make arrangements whereb the finish of the garment, that is the s aping and pressing, is preserved. It is desirable that such finishmg be done at the factory and yet, unless expensive precautions are taken such as the packing 0 each garment or suit in an individual box, I have found that much of the work needs to be done over by the con- Bignee after shipment in order to present an attractive and salable article to the purchaser or after the garments have rested in storage for a time either with the manu facturer or retailer while folded and disposed in the manner heretofore employed the same necessity arises. In the practice of the present invention I obviate these objections to a large extent and preserve the original finish of the article during long periods and through any reasonable amount of rough handling, such as they ordinarily meet with during transportation. To this end I provide a packing case preferably embodying a rectangular structure 1 on which the bottom 2, sides 3 and back 4 are nailed or otherwise secured, the top and front of the case being open, as shown. Arranged at the top is a frame 5 forming, in the present instance, part of the central structure or skeleton 1, which frame connects the side and rear walls together and embodies a forwardly arranged transverse rail 6 and a central rail 7.

Mounted on and preferably extending through the frame 5 from front to rear of the case between the rails 6 and the rear wall 4 of the receptacle is a supporting rod 8 that spans the top of the case and is in the presentvinstance centrally arranged. The garments or articles ofclothing, such as the coat 9 shown in Fig. 3, are hung upon hangers 10 and suspended upon the rod 8 being inserted through the open front side of the case. These hangers are preferably of the usual form embodying an attaching hook 11 that is engaged over the rod 8 and adapted to slide thereon to a proper position in which the garment it carries is placed in compact relationship with the adjacent garment.

The case is preferably lined with paper as a protection for the contents and when it is filled it is preferably turned on its back and the garments pressed closely together so that independent movement thereof is prevented longitudinally of the rod and against the outermost garment or the end of the pile of articles is laid a suitable follower 12 which may comprise simply a flat board or partition member of sufficient stiffness that holds the articles in a semi-compressed state. The follower is secured in place, in the present embodiment, by means of cords or other flexible fasteners 13 passed across the outer face thereof and tied after being run through apertures 14, in the side walls of the receptacle and, if desired, more than one follower can be used as I sometimes find it desirable to place one intermediate of the pile to prevent a multiplication of the irregularities in the articles from distorting them from substantially flat positions.

After the follower is tied in, a suitable closure 15 may be applied to the open front of the case and a second closure 16 to the top, which latter closure is superposed on the frame 5. The closure 15 is shown to be slightly spaced from the follower 12 and the bulging pressure of the clothes is thus prevented from interfering with the user in fastening the closure in place. Were the follower not used, it would be ditlicult to do this and at the same time fill the case to such an extent as to prevent relative movement of the contents.

As the top of the case is open when the hangers are inserted over the rod 8 they can be readily and quickly engaged with the same and opportunity is afforded by access through the top for a slight rearrangement and straightening of the garments first inserted when necessary and the user can assure himself that they are lying evenly before the case is nailed up. If any of the hangers should become disengaged from the rod, however, the garments they carried would gradually settle down between the adjacent ones and become wrinkled. To prevent this I make arrangements whereby the closure '16 for the open top of the case also operates to lock the hooked portions 11 of the hangers on the rod. To this end, inasmuch as the rod preferably extends through the frame 5 and is hence slightly below the upper surface thereof, I provide the closure 16, in the resent embodiment, with centrally arranged longitudinally extending cleats 17 that fit down within the frame and clamp the hooks 11 between themselves and the rod. The pressure thus exerted, together with that contributed by the arments themselves, does not cause a bending of or an undue strain upon the rod with the present structure because the rod has, at its center, the benefit of the reinforcement and support offered by the intermediate rail 7 of the frame.

A packing case constructed in accordance with m invention can be produced at a low cost on y slightly in advance of that of an ordinary packing box, yet can be made of sufiicient capacity to hold such a large number of garments that the increased cost of shipment per garment amounts to very little whereas the considerable cost of finishing at the factory, before pointed out, is saved from duplication and besides this the goods are in a salable condition immediately upon recei t by the retailer or other consignee.

I gaim as my invention:

1. In a packing case, the combination with a receptacle having an open frame at its top to which the rear and side walls are permanently and rigidly connected, the front of the receptacle being open for the insertion of the goods, of a supporting rod mounted on the frame to span the open top of the receptacle from front to rear and centrally thereof and to receive a plurality of garment hangers.

2. In a packing case,the combination with a receptacle having an open frame at its top to which the rear and side walls are permanently and rigidly connected the front of the receptacle being open for the insertion of the goods, of a centrally arranged supporting rod mounted fixedly on the frame below the plane of the upper face thereof to span the open top of the receptacle, a plurality of garment hangers within the receptacle provided with hooks engaging over the rod, a detached closure for the top of the receptacle adapted to be applied flatwise against the upper face of the open frame and secured thereto, a cleat on the under side of said closure running parallel with the supporting rod and arranged to engage the hooks of the hangers and prevent their disengagement, and a closure for the front of the receptacle independent of the top closure 3. In a padking case,the combination with a box having an open frame at its top embodying side rails and an intermediate transverse center rail all arranged in the same plane, the rear and side walls of the box being permanently secured to said frame, and the front of the box being open for the insertion of the goods, of a centrally arranged supporting rod mounted fixedly in the frame and extending from front to rear transversely through the front and rear rails thereof and through the intermediate rail below the plane of the upper face of the frame to span the open top of the box, a plurality of garment hangers within the receptacle provided with hooks engaging over the rod, a detached closure for the top of the box adapted to be applied flatwise against the upper face of the open frame and secured thereto, a air of alined cleats on the under side of said closure running parallel with the supporting rod and arranged to engage the hooks of the hangers and prevent their disengagement, said cleats being spaced apart to admit the intermediate rail of the frame and ermit the closure to engage the latter and a closure for the front of the receptacle independent of the top closure.

JACQUES A. MOSS.

Witnesses:

RUSSELL B. GRIFFITH, NELSON Corr.

Gopies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

